Buffalo Chicken Wings

There are some food in this world that have names that so intrigue that one has no idea what he or she is going to taste but cannot wait. Calvin Trillin, a hero of mine because he seems able to make a living by flying around the country and eating in strange spots, claims that the chicken wings served in Buffalo, New York, are a food product unto themselves. I have never been to Buffalo, but this recipe is authentic. The wings are deep-fried, then splashed with hot sauce and served with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks at least that is how they claim to eat them in Buffalo. Ingredients:

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons fine-chopped yellow onions

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ cup parsley, minced

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup bleu cheese, crumbled into fine pieces

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

¼ pound butter or margarine

2 tablespoons bottled hot sauce* or more to taste if you can take it

50 pieces chicken wings, either center or upper portion

Peanut oil for deep frying

Celery sticks for garnish

*Trappey's Red Devil or Tabasco would be fine.

Directions:

Mix the wine vinegar with the milk, and allow the milk to curdle. Add the yellow onion, garlic, parsley, mayonnaise, bleu cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Mix well. Refrigerate before serving.

In a large skillet melt the butter or margarine over low heat, and stir in the hot sauce. Careful, this stuff may be too hot for your family. Try a bit that is mild first; then increase the amount of hot sauce to taste. Deep-fry the wing pieces in small batches in peanut oil at 385° for about 10 minutes, or until browned and crisp.

Drain on paper towels. (If you wish to avoid the fat in this dish, bake the wings in the oven at 400° for 25 minutes.) When all the wing pieces have been deep-fried, reheat the skillet containing the hot sauce, and toss the wings about in the hot sauce. Serve with the dressing for a dip and the celery sticks on the side.

This is one of those marvelously messy meals. Serve with lots of beer, a gigantic green salad with Dill and Caper Dressing, and perhaps Onions Baked in Cinders.

Serves 6 to 8

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